PEANUTS: The Next ChapterEpisode 21: Feverpitch
by HPDrummerman
Summary: Dolores teams up with Lucy to do a science project, with hilarious results. Meanwhile, Eudora and Sally resume their friendship. Also Charlie Brown and Frieda try to find a home for Snoopy's brothers Andy and Olaf, who are visiting. BONUS: As a bonus feature, at the end of this episode we will have a first look at the upcoming mini-series Lucy Van Pelt: A Lost Cause.
1. Chapter 1

Episode 21: Feverpitch

 **CHAPTER 1: THE SCIENCE PROJECT**

In Mrs. Worthington's class, she was announcing that the kids would all do a science project. And she would assign the partners so there was no argument about her choices. Lucy, Schroeder, and Dolores listened in. Schroeder and Pig Pen, who was also in the class, would be working together. Lucy and Dolores would work together. The two girls looked at each other. They weren't particularly close but was always cordial to each other and still hung out with the same friends. They were interested in how this would turn out.

Later after school, Lucy and Schroeder were walking with each other talking about the assignment. She was concerned about how Dolores would treat her.

"It's not like we're exactly best friends or anything," said a worried Lucy. "She's a nice girl, I agree, but we never really hung out together before."

"You will be all right, Lucy," said Schroeder. "Like you said, Dolores is a nice girl. This will be the perfect time to get reacquainted with her since she's moved back to town. It could be worse. You could be like me and have Pig Pen as your partner."

"Promise me you'll go to his house instead of vice versa," said Lucy.

"Don't worry," said Schroeder. "I insisted on it to Pig Pen."

"Very good, honey," said Lucy, who then kissed Schroeder on the cheek. "Here I am. I'll see you tomorrow. Love ya!" And she went inside her house.

Over at the Brown household, Linus was working with Sally again with the tutoring with Michael assisting. Charlie Brown and Frieda were studying together. That's when they heard a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" wondered Charlie Brown. He got up and went to answer the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Snoopy's brothers, Andy and Olaf.

"Andy! Olaf!" he said, shocked to see them there. "You must be here to see Snoopy. He's out back on his doghouse." And the two beagles went to the backyard to see their brother.

"Who was that, sweetie?" asked Frieda.

"Snoopy's brothers, Andy and Olaf," Charlie Brown replied. "They were always wanderers and always tried to find Spike before Trevor adopted him. They could never find him. They even got close a few times."

"I wonder why they're here now?" wondered Frieda.

"You guess is as good as mine, Frieda," said Charlie Brown.

When the two weird beagles got to the backyard, they saw Snoopy napping on his house as he usually did.

"Should we wake him?" asked Andy through his thoughts.

"Sure," Olaf replied through his thoughts. "He'll be glad to see us."

"What's going on?" a groggy Snoopy said through his thoughts. "Andy! Olaf! What brings you two here?"

"We decided to try to find our brother Spike again," Andy replied.

"But we ended up in Australia fighting off snakes and crocodiles," added Olaf.

"AUSTRALIA?!" exclaimed Snoopy. "How in the world did you two end up in Australia?!"

"There was this fishing boat," Olaf began, "and we figured we could catch some fish to eat and…"

"Forget it!" Snoopy sighed. "It doesn't matter now. Spike isn't in Needles anymore. He was adopted by the round-headed kid's cousin, who's a famous singer. You two ever heard of Trevor B.?"

"We only know the Country Bears at Disneyland," said Olaf.

"Olaf, they aren't real," said Andy.

"Then how did I get the big bear's autograph?" wondered Olaf.

"Trevor B. is the round-headed kid's cousin that adopted Spike," Snoopy continued. "He's a famous singer who travels the country singing to his fans. And Spike is along with him."

"How about that?" said Andy, with pride. "Our big brother, hob knobbing with famous people."

"I thought I was the 'big' brother," said a confused Olaf. The other two beagles laughed.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: THE PROJECT BEGINS**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: BEYOND THE MICE IN MAZES AND POTATO LAUNCHERS**

Dolores walked up to the Van Pelt's home on Saturday. She was to meet up with Lucy at her home. She was a bit nervous as she also was concerned about how Lucy would act with her since they weren't particularly close. They didn't hate each other or anything; it was just that they rarely hung out together. Usually Lucy was with Frieda, Violet and Patty, or even Sally or Peppermint Patty, and, as of recently, Cobra and Rattler. Dolores had hung out with Peppermint Patty and Marcie on many occasions and was even friendly with Sally and Frieda. But while she was around Lucy quite a bit, they rarely talked to each other one on one. So, to say that this get together would be interesting was a bit of an understatement.

She rang the doorbell. Lucy answered it. "Oh, hey, Dolores," she greeted.

"Hi, Lucy," Dolores greeted.

"Come on in," offered Lucy. "You want anything to drink? We got some soda or punch."

"I'll have some punch, please," Dolores replied. Lucy poured the two of them two glasses of punch and handed one glass to Dolores.

"So, what do you think our science project should be about?" asked Lucy.

"Well everyone will probably do the mouse trying to find the cheese in the maze," Dolores replied. "We should do something less predictable, Lucy."

"I agree, Dolores," said Lucy. "I already did a science project involving Linus and his blanket."

"Really?" asked a bewildered Dolores.

"Yeah, it was a study about the effects of a security blanket and how the person who's dependent on said blanket acts without the blanket. Sally also did a science project recreating Pavlov's dog with Snoopy. So, we need to come up with similar projects without repeating what was done already."

"Another one we don't want to do is a potato launcher. Everyone will try that, as well."

"Good point. Let's go around the neighborhood and see what we can come up with." And Lucy and Dolores went out into the neighborhood to look for ideas.

Elsewhere, Sally and Eudora were hanging out at Joe's Café for lunch. It had been a while since they hung out as friends, so they were getting reacquainted with each other. Charlie Brown and Frieda were looking for homes for Andy and Olaf, and Linus and Rerun were doing something together, and Michael had to help his father with some projects at home, so he was busy, too. That left the two of them to hang out again.

"So, I hear that you, my brother, and everyone else met the girl who was friends with that Margaux girl that got killed back in January," said Sally.

"You mean Joslyn?" said Eudora. "Yeah, she was a nice girl. She was hoping Lucy would be there because she had met her first through webchat. And because of the connection between the two of them."

"I also heard you finally stuck it to those bullies, once and for all," Sally stated.

"We did. Your brother called Heather Wold and asked for her help. She kept us one step ahead of those bullies and we were able to avoid all their traps. Plus, she also produced a setup like what happened with Lucy at the Homecoming Dance last time. They couldn't sabotage us like they did when you went last time. And now those bullies are at the same military school Thibault went to last year."

"Wow. I'm almost sorry I didn't go to camp this year. Almost!" And the two girls shared a laugh. Their friendship was completely restored and what happened on Valentine's Day was a thing of the past.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: DOGS FOR FREE**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: HOMES FOR ANDY AND OLAF**

Charlie Brown and Frieda were out looking for homes for Andy and Olaf. Last time Charlie Brown tried to find homes for them he didn't have much luck. Hopefully they would have better luck, he thought to himself. The first house they ended up at was Cobra's. She opened the door.

"Oh hey, Charlie Brown and Frieda," she greeted. "What brings you by?"

"Cobra, would you be interested in one of these dogs?" Charlie Brown began. "These are Snoopy's brothers, Andy and Olaf. They need homes and we were looking to see if we can provide them somewhere to live."

"Well I would like to have either one of them," Cobra said, "but my mother is allergic to dogs. You can try Rattler. She probably would love to have a dog."

"Okay, thanks," said Frieda. And they left and headed for Rattler's house. When they reached the house, Frieda rang the doorbell. Rattler answered the door.

"Hey, you two," she greeted. "So, what's up?"

"Rattler, these two dogs are Snoopy's brothers, Andy and Olaf.," said Frieda. "Charlie Brown and I are trying to find homes for them. You don't have to have both, but we wondered if you want to have at least one of them."

"Well I have to ask my mother first," said Rattler. "I am interested in the fuzzy one." And she pointed to Andy. Then Rattler went inside to ask her mother. After waiting a while, she came back.

"My mother said it would be all right to have him on a probationary basis to see if I can handle the responsibility," she said. "If I can, I can have him for good."

"Great!" said a happy Charlie Brown. "We have some food for him to eat so you don't have to get some right now." And Charlie Brown handed Rattler a bag of dog food. And Andy went inside.

"Thanks, Rattler," said Frieda.

"Thank you," Rattler replied. "Ever since I stopped doing gang activity, I need something to occupy my time, and I'm already hanging out with Thibault. Andy would provide me the same comfort you probably get with Snoopy."

"He should, Rattler," said Charlie Brown. And he and Frieda left with Olaf to find him a home. A while later they were at Ox's house. They knocked on his door. Ox answered the door.

"Hi, Charlie Brown and Frieda," said Ox. "How are you today?"

"We're good, Ox," said Charlie Brown. "Would you be interested in owning a dog?"

"Sure, I love dogs," Ox replied. "I always love playing with Snoopy when I come over to your house."

"Well this is Snoopy's brother, Olaf," said Frieda. "He's a mellow dog, but he will provide some comfort and loving to you."

"I like him," Ox said with a smile. "I have to ask my parents first, but they said they would like to own a dog, too. I'll be right back." And Ox went inside to ask his parents. He came back with a smile on his face.

"They said 'Yes'!" said a happy Ox.

"Great!" said Charlie Brown, also happy. "Here's some food for you to feed him. You won't have to go out for a while to get some food." And he handed Ox a bag of dog food, and Olaf went inside his new home.

"Thank you guys so much," said Ox.

"Thank you for adopting him, Ox," said Charlie Brown. And he and Frieda left. As they were heading back to Charlie Brown's house, they talked about the good they just done.

"I have never been lucky enough to have kids adopt those two," said Charlie Brown.

"Maybe the newer kids were more apt to take them, hun," said Frieda. "Our older friends were used to Snoopy, they figured they didn't need their brothers since they were around your dog so much."

"Maybe," said Charlie Brown, "but I'm glad they don't have to go back to wondering the country again."

"I agree. Right now, I'm famished. How about we take a detour over to Joe's for a bite to eat?"

"That sounds like a plan. Lead the way, Frieda!" And the two lovebirds headed for Joe's to get something to eat.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: MORE SCIENCE**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: FINDING THE RIGHT SUBJECT**

Lucy and Dolores continued their search for the perfect science project. They decided to look in Monte Woods to see if they could find something. Dolores had found a tree segment and talking about the rings that meant the age of the tree at that time. Lucy didn't want to do that as stuff like that had been done before. She wanted their science project to be special.

They kept walking until they stopped at a strange tree. They noticed a weird fungus growing out of a tree root.

"Lucy," Dolores began. "Isn't that the elusive white truffle?"

"Charlie Brown did tell me that Snoopy and his Beagle Scouts found a bigger white truffle a few months ago," said Lucy. "I didn't believe it until just now. Dolores, I believe we found our science project." And the two girls started digging out the truffle.

Around that same time, Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty were under the oak talking about giving Snoopy's brothers homes.

"So, you were able to finally find them homes, eh?" said Patty.

"Yeah," said Charlie Brown. "Frieda and I gave Andy to Rattler, while Ox took Olaf. Since Marble, Belle, and Spike all have people they're staying with, they were better off than those two. But now they got homes and they can stop wandering the country."

"I am glad that they did get homes, Chuck."

"So, what's going on with you and Franco?"

"We actually went to the Farmer's Market the other day. Would you believe one of the merchants had Wiener Schnitzel for sale? With Franco being German, that was his favorite food."

"How did they keep it cool?"

"It was packed in dry ice. Franco got some by the pound and took it home. He plans on inviting everyone over for a traditional German meal in a few days. Hans, of course, is used to this cuisine, but for the rest of us, with the exception of Marcie and yours truly, it will be a new experience."

"Let me know when he plans on doing this, Patty. I'll tell Frieda about it, as well."

"Sure thing, Chuck. You'll have your taste buds dancing."

Later at the Van Pelt household, Lucy and Dolores were working on their science project. Linus and Eudora walked in and were startled by what they saw.

"What in the world is that large thing?!" asked a bewildered Linus.

"This, little brother, is the elusive white truffle," said Lucy. "This is for our science project."

"Didn't Snoopy find one of these before?" asked Eudora.

"He did," Lucy answered.

"But we're doing an actual report on it," added Dolores. "We were lucky to find another one."

"Well I hope you get a good grade," said Linus. And he and Eudora went to get something to eat. Lucy and Dolores continued to write their report.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: DANCING BEAGLES**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: PRESENTATION OF THE TRUFFLE**

The next day in class, Lucy and Dolores was waiting to present their science project. Some of the other kids presented their projects. One group did the potato launcher, and another did a model volcano, as Lucy predicted. As soon as it was their turn, the two girls got up and rolled the truffle, which was under a blanket, to the front of the room.

"Today we present to you the elusive white truffle," Lucy began. "This truffle is one of the hardest to find in the wild. But right here in Sparkyville over in our very own Monte Woods, the white truffle grows and, as you see here, they get to be pretty large. While this is far from the largest white truffle ever grown, this variety has been known to grow pretty big."

"The white truffle is the rarest of all truffles," Dolores continued. "While a normal brown truffle is hard to find, the white variety is even harder. In fact, the only fungi that rivals it is the morel mushroom, which is rare in itself around these parts." And the two girls continued to give their report.

Later, Lucy concluded, "And finally, the white truffle is the rarest of delicacies that you would experience." The kids clapped their hands. Up next was Schroeder and Pig Pen, who, for some reason, had Snoopy and his brothers, Andy and Olaf, with them.

"Schroeder, what's Snoopy and his brothers doing here?" asked Lucy.

"It's part of our science project," Schroeder replied. And they took their place at the front of the class.

"For our science project today, we present what music does to animals," Pig Pen began. "They talk about music taming the savage beast, but music can soothe the not-so-savage beast, as well. Schroeder will play his piano and demonstrate how music affects these three dogs." And Schroeder, predictably, began playing Beethoven. Snoopy and his siblings began swaying to the soothing classical music.

"Next we will see how they react to jazz," Pig Pen continued. And Schroeder began playing some jazz, which made the dogs dance around a bit.

"To study this phenomenon further," Pig Pen finished, "we will play some pop music and see how they react to this." And Pig Pen pulled out a MP3 player with a Bluetooth speaker. He pressed play and the dog began dancing around the classroom. They even grabbed some girls from their seats to dance, including Lucy, who danced with Snoopy, of course, and Dolores, who ended up dancing with Andy.

 _My baby's always dancin'_

 _And it wouldn't be a bad thing_

 _But I don't get no lovin'_

 _And that's no lie_

 _We spent the night in Frisco_

 _At every kind of disco_

 _From that night I kissed our love goodbye_

 _Don't blame it on the sunshine_

 _Don't blame it on the moonlight_

 _Don't blame it on good times_

 _Blame it on the boogie_

 _Don't you blame it on sunshine_

 _Don't blame it on moonlight_

 _Don't blame it on good time_

 _Blame it on the boogie_

 _That nasty boogie bugs me_

 _But somehow it has drugged me_

 _Spellbound rhythm gets me on my feet_

 _I've changed my life completely_

 _I've seen the lightening leave me_

 _My baby just can't take her eyes off me_

 _Don't blame it on the sunshine_

 _Don't blame it on the moonlight_

 _Don't blame it on good times_

 _Blame it on the boogie_

 _I just can't_

 _I just can't_

 _I just can't control my feet_

 _I just can't_

 _I just can't_

 _I just can't control my feet_

 _Don't blame it on the sunshine_

 _Don't blame it on the moonlight_

 _Don't blame it on good times_

 _Blame it on the boogie_

 _This magic music grooves me_

 _That dirty rhythm moves me_

 _The devil's gotten to me through this dance_

 _I'm full of funky fever_

 _A fire burns inside me_

 _Boogie's got me in a super trance_

 _Don't blame it on the sunshine_

 _Don't blame it on the moonlight_

 _Don't blame it on good times_

 _Blame it on the boogie_

 _Sunshine_

 _Moonlight_

 _Good times_

 _Boogie_

 _Sunshine_

 _Moonlight_

 _Good times_

 _Boogie_

 _Don't you blame it_

 _You just got to_

 _You just want to_

 _Yeah_

 _Blame it on yourself_

 _Ain't nobody's fault but yours and that boogie_

 _Dancin' all night long_

 _Yours and that boogie_

 _Ain't nobody's fault but yours_

 _Dancin' all night long_

Later that day, the kids had gotten off the bus. Lucy was looking crabby. Charlie Brown asked her and Dolores, "So how did you guys do on your science project?"

"If I said once, I said it a MILLION times!" Lucy fumed. "Charlie Brown, your dog drives me CRAZY! And that goes for his brothers, too!" And she stormed off.

"Schroeder and Pig Pen got an A on their science project," said a sad Dolores. "They used Snoopy and his brothers for their project on how music affect animals. We got a C on ours. It turns out the 'elusive' white truffle isn't so 'elusive' after all. As angry as Lucy is with getting a bad grade, it's Schroeder that's in the doghouse. No pun intended. I'll see you later, Charles."

"See ya, Dolores." And Dolores headed for home. Charlie Brown, Frieda, and Sally also headed for the Brown household, as he and Frieda had a test to study for and Sally was about to have another tutoring session with Linus.

 **THE END (almost)**

 **Next up is a First-Look at the upcoming mini-series**

 _ **Lucy Van Pelt: A Lost Cause**_

" **Blame It on The Boogie"** written by Mick Jackson, David Jackson, and Elmar Krohn

© Peermusic Publishing, BMG Rights Management


	6. Lucy Van Pelt: A Lost Cause (FIRST LOOK)

_Lucy Van Pelt: A Lost Cause_ FIRST LOOK

 _Lucy Van Pelt: A Lost Cause_ , is a new mini-series based on the fanfiction _A Waste of Time and Space_. It revolves around the fall of Lucy and how her death affected the PEANUTS gang, now adults. We take a look at the main characters and their lives now.

CHARLIE BROWN: Now 36, the former blockhead is now a successful owner of a five-star restaurant in Vallejo, California. He is also a bachelor still looking for the right woman. In high school, Charlie finally called Lucy out on all of the things she had done to him and Linus, finally telling her that she was nothing more than a miserable fat, sociopath with no ambition beyond tearing other folks down. And rather than stoop to her level and say that she would never amount to anything and belittle her like she did him, he ignored her and moved on. In _A Lost Cause_ we will see how her death affected him as he learns about her death via text from Linus. On his way back to Sparkyville, he runs into a familiar face.

LINUS VAN PELT: 33 year old Linus is now a retired staff sergeant who served in the army. He now lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Having lost a leg in combat, Linus is estranged from his family, with the lone exception of his brother Rerun. He blames his parents for the abuse he endured with Lucy and he hates them just as much as Lucy, if not more. While his relationship with his father is strained, Linus harbors more animosity towards his mother, who was Lucy's biggest enabler. He is married to a beautiful woman named Audrey, who's expecting anytime. No one knows if he'll even come to Lucy's funeral, not just because of his hatred of his sister, but because of having to deal with his parents.

SALLY BROWN: 30 year old Sally is engaged to Schroeder, the one-time crush of Lucy. They now live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In high school, after telling Lucy where to go, Schroeder started having real feelings for Charlie Brown's little sister. As Sally grew older, she became more responsible and more focused on her studies. She, like her brother, now owns her own business, which is a salon, thus following in their father's footsteps in working with hair.

LIAM "RERUN" VAN PELT: At 28, Rerun's life has been a roller coaster. Run-Ins with the law for drug charges, driving under the influence, his life has been even worse than Linus, who managed to break away from the drama of his family. Rerun, on the other hand, was more affected by it than his older brother. He is also estranged from his parents, but while Linus keeps them at arms-length at best, Rerun severed all ties to them, only talking to Linus, who has offered to find him some help and rehab. He lives near his brother in Boston.

SCHROEDER: At 35, Schroeder has become a renowned pianist, playing with the Philadelphia Orchestra and even teaching music at a high school. As mentioned earlier, he is engaged to Sally, Charlie Brown's sister. They had started dating in high school, much to the chagrin of Lucy. Schroeder finally told Lucy that in addition to being an unattractive blob who doesn't take care of herself, she is a miserable person and even before she became a fat mess, he would never date an awful human being like her, let alone MARRY someone like her. Once he was finally free of Lucy, he and Sally started dating. He hasn't made up his mind about going to the funeral, either.

PATRICIA "PEPPERMINT PATTY" REICHARDT: 36 year old Peppermint Patty, who now goes by Tricia, has grown out of her Plain Jane look and has become a beautiful shapely, yet still athletic woman. She is also engaged to her childhood friend, Roy, who she started dating after Charlie Brown moved to California. Of all the PEANUTS gang, Tricia harbors the least animosity towards Lucy, as they never really came into any real conflict. She has remained friends with Charlie, Linus, and some of the others. Though she lost contact with Marcie after she moved to the other side of the country with Franklin.

MARCIE CARLIN-ARMSTRONG: 34 year old Marcie is now married to Franklin. They have two wonderful kids and are now career-oriented people. Marcie doesn't push her kids academically like her parents did. She rarely talks to them now, if ever as a result, though her aversion to her folks is not to the degree of the Van Pelt brothers. They now live in Baltimore, Maryland.

FRANKLIN ARMSTRONG: 36 year old Franklin married Marcie, one of the sweetest girls around. Like Linus, he was active in the military, coming home with honors. He is also a doting dad and a staff sergeant at a local base in Baltimore, thus working closely to Washington. The couple has kept in contact with Charlie Brown, but has lost contact with Peppermint Patty (Tricia).

PATTY SWANSON-LUCAS: 38 year old Patty is now a stay-at-home mother to twins. Her husband, Mark Lucas, works for a computer company, thus allowing Patty to care for the kids. She has kept in contact with her childhood best friend, Violet Gray, who had moved to Los Angeles after 5th Grade. Patty's the one who tells her about Lucy's suicide.

VIOLET GRAY: 38 year old Violet has grown into quite the beautiful woman. No longer the snobby girl she once was, Violet became an actress and model. She also remained single, never finding the right man. On the way back to Sparkyville for Lucy's funeral, a chance encounter with an unlikely blast from the past, however, changes that.

MATTHEW "PIG PEN" TUCKER: No longer the dusty kid he once was, 35 year old Matt Tucker, a.k.a. Pig Pen, is now the picture of cleanliness. He had never left town and was still talking to some of the folks who stayed like Patty and Tricia. He's also kept in contact with Charlie Brown and had went to visit him a few times in Vallejo. Frieda's the one who tells Pig Pen about Lucy's suicide.

FRIEDA RICH: 34 year old Frieda now owns a clothing store in town. A petite, yet curvy woman, guys had tried to date Frieda, but she always held out for someone else that had also stayed in Sparkyville. Once the best friend of Lucy, she learns about her death from the Van Pelts directly.

Snoopy and Woodstock are both deceased in this story, so no appearances from them. They do get a few mentions, though.


End file.
